First bike ride since my elbow fracture

Today was planned to be a busy day. Mostly cleaning up our rental house in Rockyford in preparation for new tenants moving in this coming week. Seeing as most of the day would be spent cleaning, fixing and doing tasks that generally are not that exciting, I figured I'd better get out for a nice early morning ride. Have something like this to go on can make the day much better.

This was the first time I'd tried riding since my little incident on the snowmobile. Oddly, I ended up having quite a bit of wrist pain after the ride, while my elbow was fine. Not enough to worry about though. With a mild(er) temp of -4C (25F) I'm really looking forward to spring coming on. Fought a strong headwind on the way back, but that just adds to workout. A great hour and a bit of snow-gravel goodness.

Right before taking this last shot, the large sheet of ice I was standing on broke free. Mad scramble, but just managed to get off without dipping my feet. That would have made for a miserable ride back home. I guess I need to be more mindful of these things this time of year.

"If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes"

This is a familiar phrase to those of us who live in Southern Alberta. It seems true all year long. Summer days can bring wild sweeps of temperature readings in just a few short hours as in winter. Maybe more noticeable in winter, and often more appreciated.

Last week on Thursday morning, I headed out for a quick gravel grinder before having a "photog-nerd-fest-lunch with a bunch of great Calgary photographers. It was 7C (44F) when I headed out. Then, on Friday, snow and cold blew in. Monday I went for a ski behind my house, and it was -27C (-16F) when I left the house mid afternoon. Now, today, we're expected to warm up to above freezing again. Crazy.

With the warm spell we had last week, XC skiing wasn't an option, as we had lost a lot of snow. A single speed 29er serves well to get you outside and seeing things. It was muddy and much like the riding of spring.

gravel slop

With a hearty dump of snow and cold temps over the weekend, back to skiing again. It makes for a fun change up for sure.

I still find I make the mistake of over-dressing when I'm out skiing in the extreme cold. I had a balaclava on, and ended up taking that off right away, unzipping my coat half way and opening up the arm-pit vents. Sweating at -30 can be dangerous, it's a delicate mix of not getting tingly cold, and not over-heating. Being outside for an hour and a half, I came in with sweat-drenched gear. Fine if I'm right behind my house, but I'd hate to end up like this while out on a ski trail somewhere. The dialling-in continues.

With the old ski tracks melted away, and 10" of new snow, I had to set some new tracks for myself. The first few laps were a slow slog, but now they're ready for some faster skiing. Here's a quick video of me setting some new tracks. Most of the time my ski tips remained hidden under the white stuff.

Studded tires

I've finally gotten around to putting the studded tires on the Xtracycle. It's taken me a while to get at it as I've been mostly riding for fun lately. Those rides only require about 1/2 block of riding on streets before I hit the canal path and then gravel. The Karate Monkey does fine on these conditions, but without studded tires, any riding on streets is pretty iffy.

This is the 4th year I've had this set of studded tires, and I'm amazed at how well they are holding up. The rubber still has that almost greasy feel of brand new tires and the studs are still in decent condition. If I were buying studded tires right now, I'd probably opt for the newer Marathon winter tire, but at the time (4 years ago), this was the easiest winter tire for me to get my hands on. They're still stocked at MEC, and compared to non-studded tires, the traction difference does justify buying a set.

I'm still considering a set of ice-spiker's for the Karate Monkey. If I did, I'd also add some fenders and end up with a great winter errand bike. But then again, I'd lose it for the service of exploring and the fun rides. The one issue I have with the Xtracycle is that with the longer tail, weight distribution is more concentrated on the front tire. I often spin out going up short steep hills and when I'm taking off. I've even rode around with dead weight in the Xtracycle, just to aid it's traction issues. I suppose for the shorter distances that I have to go in this small town, a little back wheel slipping isn't a huge issue.

I've started adding stickers to my deck

These are the Specialized Nimbus EX tires that I run on the Xtra in the summer. I can't say enough good about these tires. Fast, smooth (enough), and they have amazing traction in rain. Again, after more than 4 years of service, they're in pretty decent conditions still.

I have't even lost one stud.

Finally ready for winter

I'm trying out a new two-flasher setup on the front.

Even when it's cold out, I feel sorry for those stuck in cars

I'm sure they're taking pity on me too, out there, in the cold, riding a bike. If they only knew how great it is.

I do still need to work on my winter gear though. Nasty cold fingers again. It was -9C (15F) and -14C (7F) with the windchill, and my skiing gloves just don't do the trick. This surprises me as they are good gloves, and while on the ski hills, they're always great. Must be the wind. I'm gonna look into a set of poggies, or some snowmobile mitts. Flirting with frostbite isn't much fun, and limits time outside. Today after about 15 minutes I was in pain. Shut the ride down at an hour, and again, pain when I came inside.

Still beats being stuck in a car!

Ride yer bike!

Dialling in the winter gear

Every year, it seems to take a few rides to get used to riding in the cold weather. Not so much the being out in it, but the dressing properly. After a few rides, usually your gear is sorted, and you can adjust up and down, to be fairly spot on with the varying temperatures, all being cold.

This past Saturday, I took an hour and a half, to start to process. It was -23C when I left my house, and from what I remembered, I had my best selection of gear to ride in the cold, be as mobile as possible, and not overheat. For folks who don't ride in extreme cold conditions, it's far easier and more common to over-dress, and over heat than it is to under-dress. Of course once you over heat, and start sweating, then the cold can get dangerous.

With two base layers of good wool, a thin polar-fleece jacket and a wind breaker, my torso was perfect. For the legs, a thing pair of tights worn under my favorite manpris did the job. For my head, I tried something new. A thin balaclava, with my skiing helmet and goggles. Worked great. For it's intended purpose, my ski helmet would offer sufficient protection in a wipe out, and without tons of air vents and a fleece liner with earflaps, it's warm! My hands were another story. They were feeling pretty cold after 1 1/2 hrs outside, but when I stepped into our warm house, freak! I just wanted to cut them off they hurt so bad. Felt like a baby, but it was painful. Just the day before I had a pair of pogies in my hand an opted not to buy them. Now I'm wondering if they might help out.

The fact that I stop and take pictures doesn't help the hands out much either. It was my right hand, the shutter-triggering hand, that felt the coldest while out riding.

I think that once I can figure out something to keep the hands warm and toasty, I should be good to go. Winter cycling is my favorite type of cycling and I'm not sure why. I don't even like cold weather much. But there's something about the quite stillness and isolation that seems to be magnified in the cold of winter. Rides seam more epic, even though I go less distance. Somehow, 6 miles from home feels like exploring some far reaches of an uninhabited land. It's invigorating.
I'm trying to find places that I've ridden by before, but never really noticed. Exploring more deeply my own backyard you could say.
One great revelation of this exploring is the canal system, and the long culverts that are now dry and trekkable. These are really cool to walk through. This one is right under highway #1. Semis, cars and trucks were passing over-head. I couldn't hear them, they didn't know I was there. It made for a great place for a little break. Next time, I'm bringing a small stove with me and I'm going to make a cup of coffee. Micro-touring, and my good man Chris has coined it.
It's so great to get away, slow down, and enjoy what nobody else notices or can even see. Little things can have such a profound effect on life. Even in the cold.

P.S.- As a side; I write affectionately of the cold weather from here, a room overlooking the thirteenth hole of a beautiful golf course in Phoenix Arizona. Maybe the memory of the pain of cold has quickly faded. :)

Cheers.

Winter cometh

I had my first ride in the snow yesterday. I had planned on picking my son up from school and taking him for lunch in the car, but I left the keys in the Van, and my wife was in Calgary for a few hours. Kind of a happy accident. Warm headgear, gloves and go.I'm pretty sure I'm instantly a "cool dad" with all the school kids when I take my son to or pick him up from school on Soots. All the kids come up and are all like, "oh, that's so cool, sweet!" My son just grins.
Did a little riding around the park to avoid construction on the way home. Without the studded tires on, and no weight on the back of the Xtra, it's a whole lot of slip and slide. But a whole lot of fun too.
I'm so stoked to get in winter riding mode. The invigoration that comes from the icy air is like none other. I'll be shodding the wheels with studded tires soon and then, bring on the cold n' nasties!

(not much traction offered in snow)

Soon, the studs will be back on the bikes....

The weather we've had in Southern Alberta has been pretty terrible this summer. August was the only month so far this calendar year that we haven't had snow. We've had very few hot days, and my short-wearing days were less this year than I remember them being ever. After a terrible, cool, wet summer, it's hard to get excited about winter coming.

Until I remember how much fun winter cycling is. I almost think I prefer it to summer cycling. Everything about it is a little more epic. Lights, studded bike tires, careful wardrobe selection, and the fact that a perfectly flat and straight gravel road can turn into an almost impossible-to-ride trail with the slush and snow. Winter is harder on the bikes, and every ride pretty much requires an after ride wash-down, but it's a little funner. There's a greater feeling of achievement after a winter ride than a summer ride. Not that I don't love a nice warm ramble in the country on a hot summer day, stopping to take pictures and drink water while the birds and bugs sing around you. Those are great too, and I"m sure I'll be missing them come mid-January when I'm staring outside at -30 degrees.

I'm not sure why (and I think it's kind of sick) but, I'm pretty stoked for winter cycling to be coming around.

Global warming?

Yesterday we set a record low for the date. -32.4C (-26.32F). They say it hadn't been that cold here since 1813 or something. How good was their weather equipment back then anyway? Nasty nasty cold!

Today it warmed up a bit....to -25C when I left for work. The cold isn't the problem though, it's the ice all over the roads. My Schwalbe snow studs just don't cut it, by a long shot. On Soots, or even any other bike for that matter, those studs are good for the occasional little patch of ice. Right now, on all the road around town, there are ruts that can be 6-10" deep that are solid ice.

It's gotten to the point that I've reverted to re-studded the ice spiker tires I had last year. It's a long and slow process, but I'm over half done. This year though, I've made a few changes. The resistance on the studs last year was so great, that keep any forward momentum require a lot of consistent effort. Not that it's a bad thing, but when you're reward is reaching a top speed of 8-10mph, it's a little disheartening. This year, I'm taking the same approach, running the pan head screws through the square tread block, covering the head with duck tape and then running a second tube as a liner over the tube that will be holding (hopefully) the air. The difference: I'm cutting the screws down with bolt cutters, so the screw will only be about an eighth of an inch proud, rather than a quarter inch. This should make it roll a little faster (still going to be a slow tough slog) and I'll be able to retain the claw like traction that I get when the studs dig deep into the ice.

(This picture shows last years version of the spiker tires)

I'm also building the studs up around a frame that hasn't seen action lately. My trek. The bike that started my serious bicycle commuting. Some mustache bars, maybe a 7speed cog in the back and a shimano bar end shifter from the parts bin. Hopefully in another week I'll have it all together.

Studs on the Xtra

Last night I made a little time to install the studded tires on the Xtra. I wasn’t necessarily going to run studded tires on the soon to be named Xtra, but with all of the snow we’ve recently received, and the fact that the roads and sidewalks is pretty much solid ice, I needed something with studs. Either that or drive........ Yesterdays ride on the KM proved this. 3 wipe outs on the way home for lunch. 2 on a busy road. Not my idea of a risk worth taking. Also, seeing as the only set of studded tires I’ve got are 26”, and the only 26” bike I’ve got is the Xtra, I didn’t really have much of a choice. The studded tires that I run are Schwable Snow Studs. I don’t think they make these tires anymore. I think they’ve been replaced by the Schwable Marathon Winter. I do like these Snow Studs I have though. While they’re not aggressively studded, they do offer that extra little bit of bite that aids in keeping the bike vertical. I’ve been eyeing up the Nokian 29er 294, with its 294 studs. Those on the single speed Karate Monkey would make for a very well planted bike on the winter roads around Strathmore. However, I think that once the ice is gone, the studs would wear down really quickly. At least the ones in the center band of the tire. One thing I really like about the Snow Stud is that I can pump them up to 65PSI, and the studs are clear of the road. Obviously cornering will bring them into contact, but you just have to remember not to corner very fast. Last night, I put 35PSI in them, and that lets the center of the tire flatten out, and brings the studs nicely down to the icy surface. Where these Snow Studs really shine is when everything starts to melt. Slush and slop pose no issues for these tires. The tread pattern sheds slush, snow and mud like crazy. I’ve never seen a tire as good at shedding mud as the Snow Stud.

After a season away from the studded tires, you forget how big of a difference the do make. Especially after abandoning my bike ride back to work after lunch yesterday I really notice the difference. If you think you may benefit from running studded tires on your bike, I’d say give them a go. You’ll be amazed at how much it helps. With the current conditions that I’m commuting in right now, I’d say that I couldn’t ride my bike to work safely without studded tires.

(This is the way home for lunch today. Warmed up to a balmy -16C!)

Now……..I’m seriously second guessing my decision not to buy a set for the Karate Monkey……

First Blizzard of the season!

Weekend blizzard fun. Neighbors having to clear my front door so I could get out of my house, shoveling 5 foot drifts behind my truck with a quad, and spending 3 solid hours clearing a 7 foot drift that built up against my garage door. Ah, what fun. Such is the life in Southern Alberta in the winter. Many plans cancelled, and happily opt to just stay inside, consuming copious amounts of coffee and hot chocolate while in pajama pants and watching movies with the kids. Sometimes, unplanned weekends are better than anything we could have planned.

Riding to work this morning was interesting. -27C (-17F) when I headed out the door. Still most of the sidewalks were covered, so I was forced to share the narrow paths between drifts on the roads. Even my back-routes were complete drifted, to the point that it would be carrying the bike through waist deep snow. I figured it’d be better to risk the ice, and take it easy, that to get to work sweating like a stuck guy on a bike. Biffed it once at a low speed. Two footed landing though, no harm done.

It’s amazing how weird your bike sounds when riding in this kind of cold. Tires on the snow are deafeningly loud, and brakes make noises that I’ve never heard before. Cranks creak when you wax on them, and I think I could hear the KM frame complaining. While it was cold, it was a good. Sure beats starting up my truck, letting it warm up for 30 minutes, riding in it even though it hasn’t really warmed up inside, and then doing it all over again. Thanks, but I’ll just get a quick fresh blast of wintery goodness, and then enjoy the sweet feeling of appendages unthawing after the journey. If you’ve experience such sensations, you’re really missing out! Regardless of the weather, ride yer bike!

Cheers.

What a Mutt

I present to you my winter beater. This is the ugliest bike I've ever owned. I king of like it though. If it were stolen, I wouldn't be upset, and the parts are all those of which I am willing to sacrifice to the act of winter commuting in snow, slush, slop and salt. Single speed is a huge bonus for the nasties. Winter here is brutal on a bicycle. We winter cyclist must give up the desire to ride on fine bicycles, enjoy the use of high quality components, and simply come to terms with riding bikes that look like they've been cobbled from the scrap heap. At least that's my take on it. And I mean really, it take 10 minutes maximum for me to get to work. Do I want to destroy my nice bikes, or am I will to have ride junk. I'll ride junk, and leave the nice bikes for nice(r) bike rides.

Schwalbe Snow Studs back in action. Going on their 4th winter. I think this will be the last season for them, if they last all the way through. The studs are seemingly recessed, and they are not as effective as they were when they were new.

Cockpit is pure function. Some old bar/stem combo that's been in my parts bin for a year or so. Why I don't know, I guess I was saving it for this winter.

Selle An-atomica Saddle was a gift from good man Vik. I need to talk to Vik about this. I'm finding that the sides of the leather are pressing into my legs, and it is very uncomfortable after about 5 minutes. Might be a slightly different setup required for the SA, and it might be the fact that this saddle has reached the end of it's usable life, and the tensioner bold only has about 1/4" left until it's maxed.

Also from Vik, and idea. Pop-bottle mud flap. Adds to the ghetto-bike look, and as tested this morning, it's highly effective. Slush and slop everywhere, feet dry and clean. Sweet.

Fixed after all

After the snow cleared up this morning, and a judgment call that turned out to be the right one, the fixie was the steed of the day. Started out on the roads, which for the most part were clear of slush, just wet. Ended up on a bike path and headed towards my old house. The bike paths were pure slush. Past the my old house, the golf course, and checked up on a trail I’d seen the other day while looking at show homes. It is a great path along an irrigation canal, but once off the beaten bath, 6” of soft snow proved too much for the fixie. Even with those nice fatties mounted. So I turned around.
On the way home, I hammered Wheatland trail, which is the route I used to commute on every day. It’s been too long since I’ve had nice asphalt that was snowless. It felt so great to wax it out on a road bike is temps above freezing. Snow and ice biking have their places, but when you’re limited to only that type of riding for months on end, it sure feels good to whirl up the cranks a bit. Of course I was soaked, but I was planning on that.

A nice little 18kms for lunch. Mmm tasty.

Winter should leave us alone

When I left my house @ 6 this morning, it was pouring rain. Half way to work, the snow was so heavy it slowed my to 60kph (37mph) and even as such was iffy. Twice I was in 4 wheel drift. No one else on the roads. I loaded up my fixie, thinking it would be a nice rainy lunch time ride. With this snow and freezing rain, it’ll have to be ice-spiker again for lunch. I’ve got a serious itch to get out of this winter season! At least it’s not cold. This is the view from my office right now. It's about 2" thick. Yuck!

Winter commuting. sort of.

This morning I had an early appointment to drop our minivan off at the Chevy dealer for some warranty service. Perfect. I throw the pink bike into the van, and get a bit of early morning riding in. I dropped the van off at 7:30, and the guy booking me is asked if I needed a ride. “Nope” I told him, “I’ve got my bike”. He looked up from the computer screen like I was crazy. “Really? You’re going to ride a bike in this?” Some people just don’t get it.

The distance from the dealer to my work place is minimal (4kms), so I did a little touring around town. All the old memories of commuting in the winter when I lived here in town all came back to me. Man I miss riding my bike to work every single day.

I threw on the Schwalbe Snow Studs last night as I knew that the streets would be icy. Traction was excellent. I’ve never tried any other studded winter tires, but I’ve got very few complaints about these ones. They perform very well, and the only time I have issues riding in this weather, are in circumstances that I don’t think any tires would do well in.

I think a longer lunch time ride is now on the agenda!

Fixie gets some brakes

Not installed yet, but they showed up in the mail today. While I know they're not the greatest, they were a deal for only $15 on eBay. It'll give me a nice chance to ride the fixie with a front brake and see what it's like.

I'll also change gearing down a bit and install some 42 width tires with tread I've got kicking around the garage. Call it the winter conversion.

Can't think of a title for this post

It's the truth. I just can't come up with anything that would work for this post. I always title my post before actually writing them, maybe that's the problem. Whatever.

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm getting to be an old old man. At least I think so. I even had facebook messages saying "happy birthday - OLD MAN"

It was a good birthday though. Didn't go in to work, just hung out with the family and did some shopping (for home-reno supplies).

I got a set of panniers that I've been hinting at for a while. Smudge was the first person I saw who had them and they looked pretty bitchen. Vik has some too I think. I hinted to my wife that they'd make a sweet birthday present. And they did. I also got a weather station (I asked for one fo these too) just becouse is so cool to know exactly what the weather is like right outside of your house when you jump on the bike. This is one of those things you need a bit of time to set up. Wind, rain, humidity and factors in the windchills and everything for you. I'm stoked to get it. Must be the old farmer in me coming out.

Lastly I did end up getting some profide for my loveley B-17. I've been agonizing over weather or not I should ride it until I get it lathered and then also just which bike it should done. It'll go on the fixie, just to keep it pure. I haven't been riding on it and won't until we get into some 700 X 23 weather again. I've got a set of 38 knobbies for the fixie, so I might just slap them on and hope the big B doesn't mind being broken in in the double - digits. It should be fine.

I started my running regeim again today. When I left at noon it was -13C with a light wind. I notice the start of a chinook arch in the sky. 40 minutes and 5 miles later, it was -1.7C when I returned home. Man, I don't hink it's been warmer than -15 for the last 2 weeks. Feels nice.

After the run, I jumped on the S/S to try out the new panneirs. Actually they only had the daily mail in them, but they are super functinal. I really like how they are on an off so easy and the clear my feet while I am spinning. Very important. I'm glad I was able to ditch the freezer basket I had on the rear rack. Talk about embarassing.

Cheers.

Correction: I just traced back, and I guess smudge doesn't have these panneirs. They look awfully similar don't they?

Correction # 2: Vik's are Ortliebs too. Dang I'm off tongiht

Invigorating???

Today I rode to work. I've ridden to work every day for the past month. Very, very steady. In fact, so far this year I've driven my truck only once to work, and that was because I had to drop off my table saw with a buddy before work.

The Xtracycle has made huge contributions to making this happen.

Today however was the coldest I've ever ridden my bike. It was -38C (-36.4F) with a windchill factor of -48C (-54.4F). I know in my post this morning I said I would not be taking pictures, but you just can't turn down a shot like this can ya? The 15 seconds I had my gloves off almost brought tears to my eyes. They said on the radio that exposed skin freezes in less than a minute with these windchill factors. I think they might be right. Didn't really want to find out though. We haven't had too much snow, but some monster drifts. I've lately found them to be very handy as bike racks. Seems everywhere I want to park my bike (work, the arena, outside of my shed) there seems to be a great stiff snow drift that does the job well. One of those benefits to winter cycling, huh?
Cheers.

PR

I just woke up, walked over to our little thermometer and it is -37.6C. We have a wind of 15 km/h. The temperature with wind chill is -51C!! I'm riding my bike to work today. That will be the PR part. I've never ridden in temperature that cold. You can be sure I won't be stopping to take any pictures.

Stay warm, wherever you are. Peace.

Pink Bike

Love the winter riding on the SS.

High Life